Roller tail-skid for airplanes



Au 30, 1932. J. E. BEHSE 1,874,160

ROLLER TAILSKID FOR AIRPLANES v Filed Jan. 25. 1951 JNVENTOZP J SEPHE..QEHSE B zmroav skids on many planes.

Patented Aug. 30,1932

UNITED S ATES wILLoox, or sAeInAw, MICHIGAN ROLLER TAIL-SKID roRAIRrLAivs Application filed January 23,1931. serm no. 510,611. 1 i

This invention relates to wheels or rollers for the tails of airplanes,and has for its ob-.

versely of the tail of theship, either rigidly or at the end of a springstrut. Its tread is wide and curved in an are so that it can slidesideways easily over the ground without a tendency to dig in. The treadis made with a smooth surface from hard, wear-resisting material whichoffers a minimum of resist-' ance to-sideways sliding motion.

With the increasing number of planes using flying fields, the old styletail-skid having a drag or shoe is no longer suitable for use on modernfields. Usedon turf fields by a large number of planes they destroy thesurface faster than new growth of grass can repair the damage. As aresult they are being ruled off of the turf fields.

Also, runways of stone, cinder, or concrete are now used on most largebusy fields. This type of surface very rapidly wears out the draggingshoe of the prior styleof skid.

Since wheel-brakes have come into general use on planes, the brakingeffect of a dragging skid is'no longer necessary for bringing a landingship quickly to rest.

As a result of the above mentioned conditions, wheels have beensubstituted for These wheels, however, have generally been smalleradaptations of the. main landing wheels of the plane, fitted with rubbertires. Since these tires resist sideways sliding motion it has beennecessary to swivel or caster the wheels to make the plane maneuverable;

A tail-wheel mounted so that it is free to swivel has severaldisadvantages. lVhen handling the plane in the hangar it can not bereadily backed, because the tail-wheel is Fig. 2 is an elevation'1'n1-Figh 1,v taken in a .plane. parallel to the axe. I 1

Fig. 3 is an elevation .similar'to Fig.12, showlng a dlfferently shape-dro1ler',a1s'omade ance when; the plane i i flight-a;

apt to turn the tail in any direction. .ne cessltatesthe. attention of aman at' the tall to see that-the wheel-is kept pointed'in the properdirection. V i

A second disadvantage is that in handling the-planein a cross-wind, theswiveled wheel i does not resistathe .frequen'cyi ofthetail to be blownsideways Gons'equentlyiplanes so equipped 1 n w are especially aptto.-;groundskid is free-fromthese objectionsto both-the slidingtail'skid and the castered tailrwheel.

Referring to thedrawing: I Y Fig. l is a side viewof mg to my invention.

of; roller shown accordingto my invention;

' i The roller 1 .is 'preferably. made aluminum or other lightmetalwitharing of steel 2 .cast into its-periphery to formzthe tread wearingsurface. It is preferably fitted with an oil-less bearing 3, and isjournalled upon a. tubular steel-5 axle 4c; secured in a fork 5. 1Spring washers 6 bear against the ends of therbearing 3,.andseal thebearing surfaces from dirt, and also prevent excessive wear on fork 5due to end thrust.

Fork 5 is suitably secured beneath the tail of theoairplaneyeither.rigidly or at the end of a spring-strut 7 ,as showninFig. 1. y Ineither case, the axle fork 5 is normally fixed relative to .its uprightaxis, so that it can not caster or swivel. under ordinaryconditions.

The diameter of the 1 roller and width of its tread are determinedby theweight [it is ;to-carry,-which of course varies with different-Sizesfofships. .ln everyicase itfis calculated. on the samebasis as the diameterand size of=theptires on the, main landing wheels. It is desirable tomaintain a ratio I between the diameter of the roller andfthe width ofits tread which will produce a compact unit causing. a minimum of windresista tail-roller accord- A-(T N F .rosnrrr nannsn, or SAGINAW,MICHIGAN, AssIeNoR on olvnrroun rn 1 o enon'en p I have foundthat'myimproved roller tail The shape of the tread, viewed in cross-. section,may be flat, elliptical or arcuate. Figs. 1 and 2 show a roller with aflat tread; Fig. 3 is a spherical roller. It is essential, however, thatthe edges of the tread shall be rounded,.--so that the roller :can slidesidewaysewithout cutting into the ground.

ofthe old tail skid and the rubber-tired swivm 'eled wheel. it slidessideways as easily as .v the tail-skid it replaces, audit-rolls asfreely the airplane is on the ground, said roller having its axisnormally fixed against cast-ering movement so that it rotates only inthe longitudinal vertical plane of the tail, and having a hard smoothnon-resilient tread rounded at itsedges, whereby it is adapted I forsideways sliding motion on the ground; This novel roller combines thegood points In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature.

JOSEPH BEHSE.

in a forward direction as does .theswiveled wheel. In-addition itprovides the guiding effect of the old skid, when, arshi-p isilanding; vor taxiing along the ground, since it will cdiorwiardthan 'wvhen it'sli'des sideways. -.A :puner wind'a'icross-the ship rca'n not readilyblow the tail around, .asiit nan in the case msumu travel more freelywhen it rolls ofrnshiphavingra freely :swiveled tail wheel. V 'fir'i hisis as'pecial advantage on icy-surfaces. 1 n f Also La 'itail/sk-idassembly :using my wheel- 1 is much lighter than led"wheel.

'The character of this improved roller from any vprevious tail 'zwheelsi."It is hard-and smooth to resist wear iandto slide easily. over turf,dirt, :or cement surfaces which are gripped "by rubberand which compel.the swivekmounting of any conventional wheel. .J

wear imuch longer than the sliding zskid if unused on hard runways, andit costs much less to build than the wire-spolred the assembly of t a'tswivsfitted to flange ships heretofore.

I have shown and 'descmibed aroller fixed inotwish to 'limiitmyself tothis construction, ihoweaver. WVithin the scope or the appended c'laimsis included, for example, a structure a swivel ed mountin for the forkprovided-with means for loc ingthe roller atfiore and attadireetioneduring normal ii; isserv-iee, bu t which :can the unlocked,if desired, so itha t'the roller can caster reely,to permit easierhandling 055 the :ship, as when movin g itiahout in the hangar. Havingthus described my invention, :what ta LL01aiinza ird :desire to securehy Letters Patent fl. ln an airplane, in corn'bination, a suppert-lingmember mounted in a downwardly depending position beneath the tail ofsaid -=e said men iben'a :ro l lerjounnal led in said an airplane,roll'er journal led b e' neath the tailthereo'f to support the tail whenthe tread distinguishes l iwhzeels with pneum-atic tires which have beenpermanently transversely of the 'plane. I do

